Ever wondered what your cat does when you're not around? Author Caroline Paul was gripped by the question after her anxious and timid cat Tibby disappeared for several weeks, only to return fat, happy and confident. So Paul and her partner, illustrator Wendy MacNaughton, took the logical next step: they strapped a GPS and camera on Tibby to sniff out his secret second life. Paul and MacNaughton join Forum to discuss their intrepid investigation, the elusive lives of cats and their book, "Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation and GPS Technology."

On Monday, President Obama stood alongside family members of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims and called for Congress to vote on gun control legislation. While some senators are working on a bipartisan compromise, more than a dozen Republicans have threatened to filibuster a vote on any such bill. We talk about the policies being proposed, and the likely fate of gun control legislation in this Capitol Hill showdown.

Today, it is nearly impossible to imagine San Francisco's Telegraph Hill without its landmark Coit Tower. But when the San Francisco Arts Commission approved the tower project in the early 1930s, public opinion was sharply divided. For 80 years, the city's arts commission has been at the center of a lively and often stormy debate over taxpayer-funded art. This commission's pivotal role in shaping public art and design is the subject of a new book, "San Francisco: Arts for the City." We'll talk to the author and to the current director of the commission.

Leaders from around the globe are paying tribute to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died of a stroke this week at age 87. Britain's "Iron Lady" was the country's first female prime minister and one of the 20th Century's most important political figures. But the conservative Thatcher also had many critics, who say her policies hurt workers and the country's economy. We'll discuss Thatcher's life and legacy, including her relationship with the U.S. and President Ronald Reagan.

W. Kamau Bell was a stand-up comedian in San Francisco before Chris Rock discovered him. Now Bell is the host of the FX television series "Totally Biased," a show he calls "liberal, politically-charged comedy from a 6'4", 250-pound black man." W. Kamau Bell returns to Forum to talk about politics, interracial love, making fun of Tyler Perry, and why the Bay Area made him the comedian he is today.

British filmmaker Olly Lambert spent five weeks in Syria last fall, documenting the country's civil war. He spent time with rebels, refugees, and soldiers loyal to the regime. His new film, "Syria Behind the Lines," provides a rare glimpse inside the war ravaged county. Lambert joins us to discuss the film, which airs as part of the PBS series "Frontline" this April.

This week President Obama is set to release his 2014 budget, proposing sweeping cuts to Social Security and Medicare, and fewer tax hikes. The new budget will reportedly include parts of the compromise offer that Obama made to House Speaker John Boehner in December. We talk about what's in the proposed budget, which is already getting a negative reception from Congressional Republicans, as well as from some liberals. We'll also discuss how the budget relates to the across-the-board cuts known as "the sequester."